Process for reusing previously used soapsuds



H. M. GRAY.

PROCESS FOR REUSING PREVIOUSLY USED SOAPSUDS.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJS, 1911.

1,312,477. 7 Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

W. f L "W i I f m 141 I ,5 7 4 q o g w w 5- 2 21 22 Z I] (F f HARRY MILTON GRAY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PEOCESS FOR REUSING PREVIOUSLY-USED SOAPSUDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 5. i212.

Application filed August 15, 1917. Serial No. 1.863%.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY MILToN'GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Process for Reusing Previously-Used Soapsuds, of which the fol-- lowing is a specification.

Previous to my invention, in laundries it has generally been the custom after a lot of clothes had been washed to run the soapsuds from the washing machine into the sewer.

It is the object of my invention to save the larger portion of the soap-suds after clothes have been washed therein and reuse the same. In order to accomplish this purpose it is necessary that the soap-suds be freed of so much of their impurities as render their reuse detrimental. I have discovered by experiment that soap-suds once used may be freed from detrimental impurities by treating them with an alkali, it not of sufiicient alkalinity so as to cause the heavier impurities to settle to the bot-v tom and the lighter ones to rise to the top thereby producing stratification in dirty soap-suds. The upper or lighter stratum of dirty suds maybe first drawn ofi' into the sewer and the intermediate stratum of purified suds may be drawn 0d for reuse and the lower dirty stratum 0t suds is then drawn ofi' into the sewer. The amount of alkali to be added to the dirty suds depends largely on the strength of the suds after use. I have found that with suds not having sufiicient alkalinity to cause Stratification of impurities the quantity of alkali that can be successfully used without detriment to the clothes washed with such suds runs up to five per cent. of the soap contents of the suds. As a general rule I prefer to use I about one per cent. of alkali and ninety nine per cent. of suds. I add to the purified suds a sulficient quantity of new soap to bring the suds up to normal strength. The drawing accompanying these specifications and forming a part thereof is a diagrammatic representation of the mechanism used in carrying out my improved process.

Referring to the drawings:

1 is a washing machine which is connected by pipe 2 having a cock?) thereon with line 4 having a cock 4 to which other washing machines, not shown may be connected. Pipe 4 terminates in strainer 5 which is connected by pipe 6 with the suction port of pump 7. The discharge port of pump 7 is connected to pipe 8 which runs to and discharges suds into the primary settling tank 9. An alkali tank 10 is connected by pipe 11 having a cock 12 with the suction port of pump 13. A. pipe 14: connects the discharge port of pump 13 with pipe 8. Cook 12 regulates the amount of alkali discharged into ipe 8. From near the center of tank 9 a, pipe 15 connects said tank with the secondary settling tank 16. Tank 16 is connected by pipe l? having a cock 18 to machine 1. A branch line 19 having a cook 20 runs from pipe 17 to other machines, not shown. Pipe 2 has a branch line 21 having cock 22 which runs to the sewer. Tank 9 has a top discharge pipe 23 having cook 24: anda bottom discharge pipe 25 having a cock 26. Tank 16 has a bottom discharge pipe 27 having a cook 28. Pipes 2325 and 27 run to a sewer not shown.

*From the foregoing description it will be seen that after suds have been used in washing clothes by opening and closing the proper cocks and operating the pum s, used suds can be pumped from the machine into the primary settling tank, and while the suds are passing through pipe 8 pum '13 is pumping the desired quantity of a kali into the suds to cause Stratification. When tank 9 is full, in a few moments Stratification takes place and the lint and other lighter impurities which rise to the top can be drawn ofi through pipe 23 and the puritied suds can be drawn into tank 16 and from thence to the machine to be used over. In practice in large laundriestanks 9 and 16 are kept full of suds all the time, and the lint and lighter impurities are constantly flowing away. When the heavier impurities accumulate sufficiently they are discharged.

While I have shown a pump to inject the required quantity of alkali into the used suds it is evident that it can be incorporated therein in other ways, and in some cases there may be suliicient alkalinity after use to cause Stratification without adding fresh alkali.

- The essence of my invention is in the discovery-that stratification of used soap-suds is obtained when deficient in alkalinity by the addition of alkali up to five percent. of the soap-contents and" permitting the suds to stratify, whereby the lighter impurities rise to the top and the heavier impurities sink to the bottom and. the intermediate strata is fit for reuse.

I claim:

The process of reusin soap-suds which consists of drawing 0 used soap-suds, adding alkali to such suds running the same into a tank and permitting the suds to stratify, whereby the lighter impurities rise and form a top stratum and the heavier im- 10 purities fall and form a bottom stratum and the suds fit for reuse form an intermediate stratum and then reusing such intermediate stratum.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I 15 have hereunto subscribed my name this 9th day of August, 1917.

HARRY MILTON GRAY. 

